Raphael Petrucci was a man who seemed to reincarnate the boundless curiosity and the various ability of the men of the Italian Renaissance. But for some years before his death he had concentrated his powers chiefly on the study of Oriental art, of the Chinese language, and of Buddhist iconography. His most important work in this line is _La Philosophie de la Nature dans l'Art d'Extrême Orient_, a sumptuously printed folio published by Laurens in Paris, with illustrations by the _Kokka_ Company, and written with as much charm as insight. Petrucci's knowledge of Chinese gave him an authority in interpreting Chinese art which writers on the subject have rarely combined with so much understanding of art in general, though as a connoisseur he was sometimes over-sanguine. His translation from a classic of Chinese art-criticism, originally published in a learned magazine, has lately appeared in book form. With his friend, Professor Chavannes, whose death, also in the prime of life, we have had to deplore still more recently, Petrucci edited the first volume of the splendid series _Ars Asiatica_. The present work, intended for the general reader and lover of art, illustrates his gift for luminous condensation and the happy treatment of a large theme. A man of winning manners, a most generous and loyal friend, Petrucci wore his manifold learning lightly; with immense energy and force of character, he was simple and warm-hearted and interested in the small things as well as the great things of life. LAURENCE BINYON BRITISH MUSEUM October, 1919 * * * * * CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR 5 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE BY LAURENCE BINYON 7 INTRODUCTION 15 PART ONE. TECHNIQUE I. EQUIPMENT OF THE PAINTER 21 II. REPRESENTATION OF FORMS 26 III. DIVISION OF SUBJECTS 33 IV. INSPIRATION 38 PART TWO. THE EVOLUTION OF CHINESE PAINTING I. ORIGINS 45 II. BEFORE THE INTERVENTION OF BUDDHISM 46 III. THE INTERVENTION OF BUDDHISM 54 IV. THE T'ANG PERIOD--7TH TO 10TH CENTURIES 58 V. THE SUNG PERIOD--10TH TO 13TH CENTURIES 72 VI. THE YÜAN PERIOD--13TH AND 14TH CENTURIES 92 VII. THE MING PERIOD--14TH TO 17TH CENTURIES 114 VIII. THE CH'ING PERIOD--17TH TO 20TH CENTURIES 131 CONCLUSION 140 BIBLIOGRAPHY 149